Under Chu Feng's leadership, the Azure Dragon Sect had already regained the glory of its former days.
Though the sect had yet to be fully constructed, young prodigies from all across the Nine Provinces had already begun arriving at the Azure Dragon Mountain Range, hoping to be accepted into the Azure Dragon Sect's ranks.
Faced with this situation, the Azure Dragon Sect had no choice but to advance its recruitment examinations. Before the sect was even fully built, they had begun accepting disciples. After all, this was a human sect—it couldn't rely solely on the demon beasts of the Myriad Beast Mountain to put on a face. Expanding their recruitment was an absolute necessity.
Moreover, many of those who wished to join the Azure Dragon Sect possessed exceptional talent, far superior to many of the sect's previous disciples. Some of these youngsters had even already reached the Xuan Wu Realm. Such strength naturally stirred Li Changqing's heart with excitement—he simply couldn't bear to let them slip away.
And while the Azure Dragon Sect was conducting its large-scale recruitment, many of the disciples and elders who had abandoned the Azure Dragon Sect back when the Qilin Prince's Manor had placed a bounty on Chu Feng and the sect also returned, harboring hopes of good fortune. They came back shamelessly, pleading and begging to be accepted once more into the Azure Dragon Sect.
But all they received was a cold refusal. The Azure Dragon Sect gave these traitors not a single chance.
Aside from those disciples and elders who had been willing to live and die alongside the Azure Dragon Sect—who had once ventured together into the Myriad Bones Graveyard—all other disciples and elders were selected anew from the best candidates available.
For the sake of the Azure Dragon Sect's development, Chu Feng even produced ten million Xuan Pearls to serve as the foundation for the sect's growth. This sum truly made Li Changqing's jaw drop, leaving him feeling as though he had stepped into a dream.
At first, Li Changqing had been reluctant to accept, but after much persuasion from Chu Feng, he finally agreed.
After accepting the ten million Xuan Pearls, Li Changqing once again offered the position of sect master to Chu Feng. He knew that so many outstanding young talents were willing to join the Azure Dragon Sect not because of him, Li Changqing, but because of Chu Feng. He truly felt he no longer deserved to lead the sect. His continued tenure would only breed resentment among the new disciples.
But Chu Feng said that with the ancestor still alive, the ancestor would surely be revived one day. When that time came, the Azure Dragon Sect could simply be handed over to him. As for Chu Feng, he only wished to be an ordinary disciple of the Azure Dragon Sect for now—so the position of sect master should remain with Li Changqing for the time being.
Faced with this, Li Changqing had nothing more to say and could only continue serving as the Azure Dragon Sect's master. Though outwardly he said nothing, inwardly he was deeply grateful to Chu Feng. He had not misjudged him. This young man, whom so many had once dismissed, had truly changed the Azure Dragon Sect's fate.
And so, while the Azure Dragon Sect—once the number one sect of the Nine Provinces a thousand years ago—was reclaiming its former glory, another great sect of Qingzhou that had once been powerful a thousand years ago remained mired in desolation. This was the Void Sect, based in the Void Mountain Range.
"Ahhhhh…" A helpless sigh echoed through the main hall of the Void Sect.
The sigh came from the Void Sect's master, who sat in the seat of honor at the head of the hall. He swept his gaze across the attending elders and spoke: "The Azure Dragon Sect has already recovered its former prosperity, while our Void Sect remains unknown and obscure. Now we've even been forced to the brink of relocating from the Void Mountain Range by a sect that was only founded a few decades ago—the Lotus Sect. I am truly ashamed to face our founding ancestor."
"Sect Master, aren't there rumors that Chu Feng is actually the Gray-Robed Master of old? If that's the case, our Void Sect once had some acquaintance with the Gray-Robed Elder. If Chu Feng truly is that Gray-Robed Elder, we could very well ask the Azure Dragon Sect for help."
"If the Azure Dragon Sect were willing to intervene, how would a small Lotus Sect dare to seize our Void Mountain Range?" one of the attending elders said.
"Forget it. Setting aside the fact that those are merely rumors—even if Chu Feng truly is the Gray-Robed Master, he already did right by us beyond measure back then. What justification do we have to go asking for more?"
The Void Sect master shook his head with a bitter smile. Hadn't he himself considered trying his luck and reaching out to Chu Feng for help?
But when he thought about it—back when the Azure Dragon Sect had been facing its own crisis, the Void Sect had shown not a whit of support. Now that the Azure Dragon Sect had risen, would he really go crawling to them for favors? He himself felt such behavior was wrong, and naturally he was far too embarrassed to do it.
"Sect Master, but our Void Sect is facing the very real prospect of losing its home. If we leave the Void Mountain Range, it would be one thing if the Lotus Sect let us go in peace."
"But if they refuse to let us off, it will be far too difficult for our Void Sect to ever recover. We might well be reduced to a third-rate sect—or perhaps even face total destruction." The elders pleaded earnestly.
"There's nothing to be done. It was our own greed that led us to compete with the Lotus Sect over that territory. If we hadn't antagonized them back then, we wouldn't have ended up in this situation." The Void Sect master's face was filled with regret.
It turned out that some time ago, the Void Sect had discovered a precious mineral vein in a border territory. This vein was extremely valuable—if mined, it could be exchanged for a vast amount of cultivation resources, greatly strengthening the Void Sect's foundation.
But the neighboring Lotus Sect had also discovered this same vein. Both sides claimed ownership of it, and so, driven by profit, a clash between the two second-rate sects became inevitable.
The Lotus Sect had only been established a few decades ago. Its founder, while possessing some ability, had long since vanished decades ago. Even if he hadn't vanished, he should have long since died of old age.
As for the Lotus Sect's current master, his strength was far inferior to the Void Sect master, and the cultivation of its elders paled in comparison to that of the Void Sect's elders. The sect's overall foundation was also vastly weaker than the Void Sect's—it could be called the most negligible existence among second-rate sects.
And so the Void Sect had swept through like an unstoppable force, crushing the Lotus Sect completely. But who could have imagined that just as the Void Sect's army had arrived at the Lotus Sect's gates, ready to make them pay the price, the Lotus Sect's founder—the Lotus Elder—had actually appeared?
This elder, well over a hundred years old and supposedly long past his natural lifespan, was not only very much alive but had also advanced his cultivation to the eighth level of the Xuan Wu Realm. It turned out that decades ago, he had received an inheritance from a mysterious expert and had consumed a special pill that extended his life. He had spent all these years in secluded cultivation, never venturing out.
And when the Lotus Elder emerged, he didn't make things too difficult for the Void Sect. Not only did he refrain from attacking them, but he even allowed them to return to their own sect.
Grateful for the Lotus Elder's magnanimity and filled with admiration, the Void Sect master had planned to concede the mineral vein to the Lotus Sect upon his return and present generous gifts as a token of thanks to this senior for his generosity. But who could have predicted that things would not be so simple?
It turned out the Lotus Elder had taken a fancy to the Void Mountain Range. After the Void Sect's army had returned to their base, the Lotus Elder had actually forced the Void Sect to vacate the Void Mountain Range within one month and hand it over to the Lotus Sect—or else he would massacre them to the last man.
Today was already the final day of that one-month deadline. The Void Sect was facing the inevitable reality of having to leave the Void Mountain Range.
"He's nothing but a small sect. Calling them a second-rate sect is already giving them too much credit. If that Lotus Elder hadn't gotten lucky and stumbled upon some expert's inheritance—extending his lifespan and skyrocketing his cultivation—how could the Lotus Sect possibly be any match for our Void Sect?" several attending elders said indignantly.
"Enough. Stop complaining. The Lotus Elder didn't wipe out the Void Sect outright but simply drove us from the Void Mountain Range—that was already showing great mercy. If anyone is to blame, it's only ourselves for being inferior in skill. How can we resent him for obtaining an expert's inheritance?"
"Pass down my order. All elders and disciples of the sect will move out with me. We are relocating from the Void Mountain Range. As long as our Void Sect remains united, we can rebuild ourselves wherever we go." The Void Sect master issued his command.
And so, hundreds of thousands of Void Sect disciples, led by the Void Sect master and the attending elders, formed into orderly columns and prepared to depart from the Void Mountain Range.
But just as they reached the gates of the Void Sect, a group of people appeared before them.